Wal-Mart vs. Target: During the Recession, It’s No Contest

When times are tough and consumers are “trading down” to buy more inexpensive goods, you’d think that a discount retailer like Target would flourish. After all, it’s the place you go for quality clothes at affordable prices — cheap-chic designer Isaac Mizrahi offers a line — low-cost home accessories, and perhaps a grocery item or two

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The Trouble with Obama’s New Deal

President Barack Obama faces a daunting political reality: the world he envisioned in the spring and summer of 2008, when he was formulating his political strategy and building his political alliances, has been replaced by a world in economic danger. His $3.5 trillion budget might make sense if these were normal times, with a newly elected, very liberal Administration wanting to focus on reshaping America and redistributing wealth. However, these are not normal times

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Could Rising Seas Swallow California’s Coast?

Imagine San Francisco Airport under water, or Long Beach Harbor in Los Angeles, home to the second busiest port in America, washed away. Picture Orange County’s Newport Beach completely submerged under the encroaching ocean. That’s the soggy future that could be in place for California at the end of this century, if climate change continues unabated.

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Report Says 1 in 50 U.S. Kids Are Homeless

Even before the financial and home foreclosure crisis hit full stride, the number of homeless children in America had reached an alarming level. The National Center on Family Homelessness released a report today that estimates that one in every 50 American children was homeless between 2005 and 2006. That totals roughly 1.5 million kids.

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Talking with the Taliban: Obama Idea Draws Skepticism

Seeking alliances with more moderate Taliban elements against al-Qaeda is not a new idea in the Afghanistan-Pakistan context, but until now it is one that has typically drawn a skeptical response — from U.S. officials who have regularly cast doubt on the wisdom of Pakistan pursuing such agreements

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